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KPF and collaborating engineering firm Adams Kara Taylor (AKT II) have applied to Southwark Council to raise the tower an additional 144 feet. The offices no longer meet modern day requirements and have remained vacant for about six years. An extensive overhaul proposal to transform the building into a mixed-use space – including creation of retail space, pool and gym on the ground floor, and various extensions – was approved in October 2011, so the firm already has authorization to add six floors. In seeking approval for five additional floors, KPF wants to take the 364-foot structure to 508 feet, which will extend the tower by more than a third of its original height and will offer space for 36 additional residential units.

Extending South Bank Tower by a third is a world first, according to an AKT II project engineer. KPF has become a frontrunner in skyscraper development, but despite the fact that the tower is a different approach than the firm’s customary sky-high towers, sustainability remains a focal point of the plans.